Abbott, a devout Catholic, was tongue-lashed by Deputy Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, after he made comments in an interview with Woman's Day magazine about raising girls "today". Now, Abbott is making an earnest attempt to soften his image with female voters, so making an appearance in a women's magazine is a good idea. He was asked a question about what advice he would give his daughters about pre-marital sex, Abbott said, "I think I would say to my daughters if they were to ask me this question ... it is the greatest gift that you can give someone, the ultimate gift of giving, and don't give it to someone lightly." In response, Gillard claimed that Abbott was "lecturing" to Australian women.

What the?!? Are you SERIOUS Ms. Gillard?!?

Ms. Gillard, I'm going to ask you politely to remove those tufts of red hair from around your ears and instruct you to listen carefully to this (or read it):

ABBOTT WAS TALKING ABOUT WHAT HE WOULD SAY TO HIS DAUGHTERS, NOT TO THE WOMEN OF AUSTRALIA!

Now, if anyone was to pay any attention to how Abbott worded his response, you'd note that he said "... don't give it to someone lightly". The reality of this statement is that as a parent, you can tell your children what to do and model good and decent behaviour, but in the end you're not going to be able to physically stop your children from doing anything contrary to your wishes. As a parent myself, I can only hope and pray that when my own children come of age, that they think carefully about their actions.

No person can stop anyone from having extra-marital or pre-marital sex (e.g. the sexual "revolution"), but as parents, and this is a universal hope, we can do our best to make sure our children make good and responsible choices and not do anything that they are later going to regret. This does not just apply to sexual affairs.

But where the hypocrisy lies in this matter is where our Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, stands on issue of pre-marital sex himself. Rudd is also a father of children of similar ages to Abbott's own offspring, and Rudd has also been very forward in proclaiming his Christian faith. Rudd has been very, very silent on this issue; he has refused to but into it. If Rudd was a true Christian, he'd be backing Abbott's stance on pre-marital sex. Oh but no; that would make the Labor front bench look bad now, wouldn't it? We can't have a prime minister and his deputy not seeing eye to eye on any given issue, I mean, that would just be embarrassing!

Abbott was asked a direct question, and he gave a direct answer, and how refreshing: a politican that shoots straight and does not try and creep around a question with prolix retorts and nonsensical soliloquies! At least we know where Abbott stands on a range of issues. Rudd, on the other hand, we're still not too sure about and that, as voters and working adults, should concern us all. Rudd, you're lukewarm, and what is lukewarm is spat out (can you tell I'm excited it's an election year?).

Knowing that I will soon have a daughter to love and to raise, when she is of age, I will give her the same advice that Abbott has given his daughters. I also happen to have a son, and I will also teach him the same. My hope is that all of my children learn to respect their bodies and value their sexuality; to not treat it as some kind of play toy. But as eluded to earlier, we can only do so much. Every individual is left to their own devices and faculties and we hope and pray for the best, and if we fail - if we sin - we know that we have almighty God who is prepared to forgive the sins of the penitant. I hardly believe that Abbott would cease loving any of his daughters if they did decide to engage in a pre-marital act, but it's like he said, "...don't give it [virginity/your sexuality] to someone lightly".

The advantage we have as the younger generation of another is that we are able to learn from their mistakes. The advice of a parent is invaluable, and Abbott, despite this advice being aired to public response, should not be denied instilling Christian values in his chlidren. The "Mad Monk" madly loves his children, and it's heartening to see a father care about the wellbeing of his children so passionately.

Proudly Australian of Maltese descent

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About Me

I live in Perth, Western Australia, but was born in Melbourne, Victoria. I'm Australian by birth but my heritage stems from southern Europe, mainly the island country of Malta, the heart of the Mediterranean.
By profession I am a high-school teacher, specialising in Religious Education (Catholic) and English.
I have been teaching since 2005 but before that was a journalist. I still write the odd article from time to time.
I'm married with two children, and am looking forward to having more kids with my beautiful wife.